Dundas Fire Hall

The first Fire Hall in Dundas was built in 1834, just one year after the first volunteer Fire Department was created.  Unfortunately, in the early hours of May 12, 1849, it burnt down. A temporary one was built, but it was not until 1894 that a more permanent area was suggested. Three years later, in 1897, the construction of the new building was underway.  On November 18, 1898, the new Fire Station was officially opened.

Dundas’ Fire Department has a long and somewhat complicated history, especially because it was mostly volunteer for a large portion of its early history.  On January 9, 1833, the town of Dundas agreed on the creation of a volunteer Fire Department.  While this worked well for a few years, by 1846, the number of willing volunteers had drastically decreased, leading the city to develop new methods of convincing men to join.  Eventually, they declared that any man who became a volunteer firefighter was automatically exempt from both jury and military duties.  Eventually, the department grew to a substantial size, and by 1930, they had become completely motorized as they sold off their last team of horses in favour of brand new trucks.